Newly-signed Peyton Hillis could see plenty of reps Monday night

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At 0-6, it has been a rough year for coach Tom Coughlin, whose team in banged up heading into its Monday night matchup with the Vikings. Newly-signed Peyton Hillis may have to start at running back.

Whatever could go wrong sure has gone wrong for Tom Coughlin and his team this miserable season.

One injury after another. Turnover after turnover. Mistakes in the fourth quarter just when the G-Men were getting in position for a comeback win.

Now comes the latest bad news for the 0-6 Giants.

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Their leading rusher — Brandon Jacobs — and one of their best defensive ends — Jason Pierre-Paul — are questionable for tonight’s 8:30 p.m. Monday Night Football matchup with the 1-4 Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium.

Jacobs is nursing a hamstring injury and Pierre-Paul missed Friday’s practice with illness. Meanwhile defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was added to the questionable list with a knee problem.

If Jacobs doesn’t go newly-signed Peyton Hillis, who was signed by the Giants Tuesday after being cut by Tampa Bay Sept. 24, could become a starter in his first game in Kevin Gilbride’s offense.

“I’m ready to do whatever this team needs me to do to help them get the first win,” said Hillis, who was one of five free agent backs the Giants had in for an audition Tuesday. He has 1,000-yard rushing credentials in his resume, gaining 1,177 and scoring 11 touchdowns in 2010 when he was with the Browns.

The Giants hope he has enough left in his legs to get them some drive-sustaining yards tonight.

If Jacobs can’t go and Hillis starts it would be only his 33rd start in seven NFL seasons.

“I definitely want to be out there and try to help this team get that first win and turn this thing around,” said Hillis. “You don’t know how much this (not playing) is eating me up inside. All I want is to go out there, compete, and hit somebody.”

Jacobs did some hitting 11 days ago when he ran for 106 and scored twice in Chicago, a game the G-Men lost 27-21 after it looked like they might pull it out late until Eli Manning threw his third interception with the Giants at midfield.

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Not only have the Giants tried unsuccessfully to beat some of the best NFL quarterbacks - Dallas’ Tony Romo, Denver’s Peyton Manning, Carolina’s Cam Newton, Kansas City’s Alex Smith and Chicago’s Jay Cutler - they’ve also been burned by some of the best punt/kick return specialists.

Denver’s Trindon Holliday helped beat them with a punt return TD and Kansas City’s Dexter McCluster and Chicago’s Devin Hester have also made the Giants special teams coverage look bad.

Tonight they face Minnesota’s Cordarrelle Patterson, who just happens to be second in the NFL with a 33,8-yard kickoff return average that includes a 105-yard touchdown run back.

What makes this return man so dangerous?

“What makes him so good is he is big, strong and fast,” special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said.

“He’s bigger than most returners and can stick his foot in the ground and get vertical in a hurry. So you have to make sure you don’t give him a bunch of open windows because his vision is outstanding. He sees it, he hits it.

“It looks like a team will have him bottled up and he sticks his foot in the ground and comes back out the other side. We have to be really disciplined against him,” said Quinn.

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Minnesota is 13-9 in the series with the Giants, who do lead the post-season series, 2-1, after winning the 2000 NFC Championship Game, 41-0.

In case you forgot the last time the teams played was Dec. 13, 2010 - but in Detroit’s Ford Field because the room at the Vikings’ Metrodome collapsed during a blizzard.

Ironically that win ended a 4-game losing streak for the Giants, who hope a win tonight over the Vikings also ends a losing streak - their first 0-6 start since 1976.

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Big Blue is 22-33-1 on Monday nights, and 7-8 at home. The only home Monday game they’ve played under Coughlin was 28-16 over the Rams in 2011.